Cognition and Language Psychology 1107 11/22/2018

Introduction So how do we take the perceptual information, store it, then use it to solve a problem? Well we know the first two, but, problem solving is interesting in its own right How do we classify information? How do we communicate it? Cool questions Big questions 11/22/2018

Conceptual Thinking Concepts simplify the world Allow us to solve real problems Probably organized hierarchically Chair Objects Furniture Table 11/22/2018

Concepts Prototypes? Exemplars? Maybe it is characteristics in a conceptual hierarchy 11/22/2018

Problem Solving We use these concepts to solve problems Problem solving is probably done in stages Representation Can be good or bad Functional fixedness 11/22/2018

Algorithms and Heuristics Once the problem is represented somehow, we try to solve it using a strategy Algorithms are sets of rules that will always come up with a solution ‘What is Dave’s computer password?’ Might take a while 11/22/2018

Heuristics Heuristics or rules of thumb are great They often work quickly Computer password example But they can lead us astray Often best if we set up subgoals Means –ends analysis Backward selection 11/22/2018

Mental set Which letter comes next? A B C D E ? ? A E I O ? B C D F G H ? ? M T W T F ? ? O T T F F ? ? 11/22/2018

Representativeness Heuristic What is the ‘average’ Over used, blinds us to other info Law of small numbers ‘But I know a guy who’ 11/22/2018

Is Susan a Librarian, a Teacher, or a Lawyer? Is Linda a Banker? Is Linda a feminist Banker? Susan is very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful, but with little interest in people, or in the world of reality. A meek and tidy soul, she has a need for order and structure, and a passion for detail. Linda is 31 years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy and economics. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and also participated in anti-war demonstrations. 11/22/2018

Availability Heuristic Stuff that is easy to remember must be the most frequent stuff Advertising How else could you get people to buy lottery tickets? 11/22/2018

Framing Depends a lot on how the problem is framed Unemployment vs. employment Canadian Tire Money Is a great example THEY ARE COUPONS! 11/22/2018

Language It is symbolic and syntactic Phonemes Morphemes Talk about stuff that isn’t there, and, there are rules Phonemes Sounds Morphemes Smallest unit of meaning 11/22/2018

Chomsky’s ideas Surface structure vs. deep structure The cat chased the mouse." "The mouse was chased by the cat." Both mean the same thing so the same deep structure Surface structure is different Basically semantics vs. syntactics We are the only species that does this 11/22/2018

Linguistic development Starts with cooing and babbling Phonemes One or two word stage (1 year) Two word stage Telegraphic Sentences Generalization errors 11/22/2018